Individuals

Collaborating with individuals

 

Collaborating with individuals

We all seem to have a story which we live by most of the time. Either we have developed our own story of our self or we have taken on a story that someone else has given to us or perhaps even a professional person has labeled us with. Sometimes this story becomes overwhelming and drowns out all other stories about ourselves, that we forget the variety of stories within us. Sometimes there are aspects of ourselves, stories, not yet discovered or never told.

Sometimes the story the world tells us, or our culture holds onto, is the story we take on without questioning. Although we are all unique, with our own stories which have been created through our own unique life experiences, families and relationships, we are also part of a society and a culture where ideas and stories are imposed on us. We can develop a single track story that plays through our hearts and minds as we live this story every day and forget the other aspects of ourselves. Often we have not even had the opportunity to explore the unknown parts of ourselves. We can believe a story that actually does not fit with who we truly are or who we want to be, or perhaps we feel there are other stories or ourselves that need to be explored. I believe that this can lead us to feeling we are living a half-life. This may be felt in the unsettled and unfulfilled moments of our day.

The intention of therapy is to explore the multitude of stories we are made up of: stories from others, from our families, from our work place. At times we struggle to find how those stories fit into the world around us. Sometimes we have a desire to find a new story. Sometimes the story has been given to us and never questioned and in fact becomes a prison itself. Curiosity is fundamental to be able to view things with interest and be able to question, laugh, cry and explore other ways of being. There are always possibilities even seemingly small, however, possibilities all the same. Therapy is about movement and change even if this change is in the smallest way. That ripple effect can be far reaching! It is my experience that very often the act of being able to sit with another person, in a safe, non-judgmental environment and have a conversation can have profound effects. Looking at one’s life with interest and curiosity is a beautiful thing. Giving voice to the pain, or unfairness of life, or just to ask the questions is a valuable journey for anyone.